News in brief

The Xinhua News Agency, China's national broadcaster, has begun filming a 40-part TV series on the martial arts star Bruce Lee, a £4.8m production to be filmed in Hong Kong and in the US, where Lee launched his acting career. Lee, who died in 1973, aged 32, is played by Chen Guokun. The series, due to be aired in 2008, and centred on a figure viewed as a powerful symbol of Chinese nationalism, appears aimed at highlighting the country's culture in the run-up to the Olympics, hosted that year by Beijing. Filming of The Legend of Bruce Lee began in Shunde, Guangdong province, Lee's ancestral home.Associated Press in Beijing

Human error blamed for sinking of cruise ship

Human error contributed to the foundering of a cruise ship that struck rocks off the island of Santorini last week, Greece's merchant marine minister said yesterday. Two French tourists are feared drowned after the Sea Diamond hit rocks on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,600 people. It later sank. A robot submarine began filming the wreck yesterday to try to locate the missing tourists. Merchant marine minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis said that "most definitely there was human error" involved in the accident. Six crew, including the captain, have been charged with negligence.Associated Press in Santorini

Pharaoh's hair stolen 30 years ago goes on display

Locks of 3,200-year-old hair from the pharaoh Ramses II, stolen in France 30 years ago and last autumn found for sale on the internet, were yesterday displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The tufts of brown hair, shown alongside linen bandages and resin used in the mummification of Ramses and his son Merneptah, will be displayed next to Ramses' mummy at the museum. Jean-Michel Diebolt, 50, a postman, obtained the hair from his late father, who examined the mummy in 1976, and advertised it on the web for £1,350. He is being investigated in France for allegedly possessing stolen goods.Associated Press in Cairo

African migrants accused of attacking sea patrol

African migrants trying to reach Spain by boat allegedly hurled Molotov cocktails at a patrol vessel. Police said yesterday the migrants also tried to slash the Spanish civil guards' inflatable raft, but no one was injured. The boat held 57 people, including two children. Canary Islands authorities said it was the first time a boat trying to detain people at sea had been attacked in the 10 years since the islands had attracted migrants trying to reach Europe. The boat continued to Canaria, where everyone aboard was detained; those not involved in the attack will be allowed to stay in Spain.Associated Press in Santa Cruz de Tenerife